Coming Home
by SwanQueen1
Summary: Emma goes through the portal with Elsa, Anna and Kristoff. The portal is now gone and they have to find a way to get Emma home which includes traveling to a far away place high up in the mountains. Throughout this journey, Emma and Elsa's relationship deepens into something more then friendship and Anna ends up feeling unwanted.
1. Chapter 1

Emma stared at the necklace in her hand, the pendent a silver snowflake. She had made it herself with her magic and though it had taken her a million tries, she never gave up.

It was going to be Elsa's goodbye present. Tears pricked at her eyes at the thought of losing her friend. Even though Elsa had only stayed with them for a week, it had been one of the best weeks of her life. She had a friend who understood what it felt like to lose control of her powers, who knew first hand what it felt like to hurt the ones she loved. And who also helped her realize that her powers were what made her special.

She took a shuddering breath and looked to her left at the bedside clock. Ten more minutes. Ten more minutes before her friend went back to her own world. Ten more minutes before her first real friend was ripped away from her. Mr. Gold had told them that the portal would only work once so once they went through there was no going back. The thought tore Emma's heart.

She hugged the necklace to her chest and walked slowly down the stairs.

She was greeted with her parents, son, Elsa, Anna and Kristoff. They all looked up at her arrival.

"I guess it's time" Emma said softly.

Elsa nodded sadly and Anna seemed more than happy to leave. Not that she hated this place but that she was homesick.

They all walked out into a particular windy day, Elsa, Anna and Kristoff in the front and Emma staying alongside her parents and son.

Emma was silent for the entire walk to the house that was located in the woods, away from town. Her parents noticed quickly.

"Emma" Snow said quietly enough so that Elsa and Anna wouldn't hear. "Are you okay?"

"My friend is about to go home and I will never see her again. How do you think I feel?" The words came out harsher then she intended and automatically felt guilty at the shocked look in her mother's face. "Sorry"

Snow nodded. "No, I understand. I know what it's like to lose someone you care for"

"You do?" Emma asked, turning her head to look at her mother.

Snow nodded. "You may not know this, but I lost a lot of people in my life. I lost you the moment you were born"

"But you found me again" Emma argued.

"Twenty eight years later. I had faith that you would find us again but sometimes, faith is not enough"

"You were cursed for twenty eight years. You lived the same day over and over. I will feel this loss. It's not the same" Emma sighed angrily and before her mother could say anything, she quickened her pace until she was walking next to Elsa. Elsa smiled at her and took her hand without a word, rubbing circles over the back of her hand with the pad of her thumb soothingly. Emma tightened her grip, not wanting to let go. Her other hand was clenched in a fist, the necklace hidden in her palm.

Snow sighed sadly and her husband placed an arm around her shoulders, bringing her to his side.

"Give her time" David said gently.

"I know. I just can't bear to see her in pain"

They made it to the house and following Henry who somehow knew his way, they walked into the large living room. In the center was a blue door, two golden crocuses on the top.

Anna gasped happily and ran to the door. "Crocuses! Arendelle crocuses! Elsa, we're almost home" She reached for the knob but Emma stopped her.

"Wait" Emma said. "Magic can be unpredictable. Maybe it's better if I open it"

Anna stepped back.

Emma hesitated before slowly turning the knob. She opened the door and saw a shimmering scene. A room on the other side.

Elsa and Anna smiled. Emma's heart dropped. Selfishly, she had been hoping this hadn't been the right door.

"I guess this is goodbye" Elsa said to them all.

Emma stayed by herself as Elsa said goodbye to her family. Anna looked at her and said sincerely, "Thank you for taking care of my sister"

Emma nodded with a forced smile.

Elsa turned to Emma and grasped her hands. "Thank you for everything you have done. If it weren't for you, I would still be in that urn. I can never repay you"

Emma couldn't speak. There were no words that could express how she was feeling right now but thanks to Elsa, there was no need. She brought Emma into a hug and the two blondes stayed locked together. Emma breathed in her minty scent, trying to remember it.

After a few seconds, Elsa released her with the dreadful words, "It's time"

Anna took Kristoff's hand and together they walked through the portal. Elsa took one last look at Emma, into her heartbroken eyes and leaned in.

_Please, don't_. Emma thought but she was unable to back away. So she took it, closing her eyes at the feel of Elsa's cool lips press against her forehead.

"I'll never forget you" Elsa whispered against her skin.

The tears that Emma had been holding in so well for the entire day burst from her eyes and slid down her cheeks. Unashamed, she started to weep.

Elsa pulled her in, whispering sweet nothings into her ear.

Out of instinct, Snow took a step forward but Charming held her back with a shake of his head.

Elsa held her, slowly moving them left and right as if they were in a slow dance. When Emma had settled down enough to slow her tears, Elsa took a step back. She looked at Emma, rubbing the tears off her face before turning around and walking into the portal.

Emma stared at the portal, the events not yet processing to her brain. And when they finally did, when she finally realized that Elsa had left her forever, she shattered.

She hadn't realized she was on the ground until Snow and Charming were besides her, laying their hands on her shoulders.

"What's that?" Henry asked, pointing to her hand.

Emma looked down and her heart dropped. It was the necklace. She gasped and got up.

"Elsa wait!" She cried. Before anyone could stop her, before she understood what she was doing, she was running through the portal.

The windows to the living room suddenly burst open and slammed against the wall with a deafening sound. A powerful gust of wind came in the room and the door slammed shut.

"No!" Snow screamed, reaching for the knob but the door started to disintegrate before her very eyes and disappeared.

They stared at where the door used to be in utter shock. Emma was gone and there was no way in bringing her back.

**Authors's Note: For the sake of this story, Mr. Gold has already been banished to the other side of the town line and Hans never took over Arendelle. **


	2. Chapter 2

Two pairs of blue eyes met Emma's as she passed through the portal. They stood still, shocked at what they were seeing. As she stepped out of the portal, the door behind her shut and disappeared. At the sound, Emma swerved around to see the last of the door disintegrate into nothing and her eyes widened.

_Shit._ She thought. _Shit, shit, shit. _

"Emma?" Elsa broke the silence. Emma turned back around and Elsa stepped closer, Anna following, a hand placed on her arm. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I forgot to give you this" Now that the door had closed and she had no way of getting back home, going through the portal in the first place just to give her this necklace sounded ridiculous and she chided herself for being so reckless. She held up the necklace.

Elsa gasped, a hand going to her heart. "Emma, did you..."

"Yeah" Emma blushed. "I used my magic. I hope you like it"

Elsa took the necklace with two fingers gently as if it were a fragile piece of glass that would break if she handled it too roughly. She laid the pendent in her palm to examine it closer.

"It's a snowflake" Anna said excitedly. "Ooh, it's so pretty"

"Its beautiful Emma" Elsa breathed. She undid the clasp and brought each end around her neck. "Anna, if you would"

Anna walked behind Elsa and easily fastened the clasp back together. Elsa let go of the pendent and it dropped, stopping at the top of her chest.

Emma smiled at the sight of her friend wearing her necklace. It made her feel warm inside, something that hadn't happened since Neal had given her the swan keychain. Wait, what?

Before Emma could continue pondering her conflicting feelings, Anna interrupted.

"Are you planning on going back home?" She asked. "Not that you're not welcome here but the door disappeared so I was wondering if you had a plan B"

"Oh, yeah" Emma said. Truthfully, she hadn't thought much of it. She had just gotten Elsa back. "Um...honestly, I don't know how to get back now"

"We can help you" Elsa offered. "You helped me and now I wish to repay that"

"Thank you"

"Of course. Now, come with us. We know of someone that could help us"

"Grand Pabbie?" Anna asked.

Elsa nodded and informed Emma, "Grand Pabbie is a family member of Kristoff"

Emma was struggling to remember. "Kristoff is..."

"My fiance" Anna said with a proud smile. "We're getting married today"

Emma gasped. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry for coming here! I shouldn't have done this"

"No it's alright" Anna was never one to get angry easily. "The more, the better!"

Elsa chuckled. "Well, Anna. I don't know if I want the entire kingdom here-"

"Open gates, Elsa!" Anna reminded her.

Elsa sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. "Open gates doesn't mean that hundreds of people come. Besides, where would we fit everyone?"

Anna thought for a few seconds, a serious look of concentration on her face. Then she got the 'a lightbulb just turned on in my head' look and turned to Elsa, squealing in delight. "We can do it in the courtyard! That would be big enough!"

Elsa ruffled her sister's hair lovingly and said, "Whatever makes you happy Anna"

Emma stayed quiet for this, a smile on her face despite the fact of being completely clueless of the whole conversation. They had been separated for thirty years. They deserved some time alone.

The three young women walked out to the back of the castle where the stables were located. There was Kristoff, tending to a reindeer who was happily munching on a carrot.

"Hey Anna" Kristoff greeted. "Elsa and..." He paused as he looked at Emma. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"My name is Emma" She said.

"She was the one that helped Elsa" Anna said.

"Oh! Um...welcome to Arendelle. Uh, what are you doing here?"

"It's a long story" Elsa said before Emma could even open her mouth. "We are heading up to see Grand Pabbie to see if he has any idea of how to get her home. Would you care to join us?"

"No thank you. I need to get Sven ready for the wedding" The reindeer snorted, shaking his head. "Sven, I already told you you have to wear the tie!" Another snort. "Sven, don't argue with me today"

Emma's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "He can speak reindeer?"

"Ignore that" Anna said. "That's his one weird habit"

"I wouldn't say that's the only weird habit" Elsa muttered under her breath.

"Hey!" Kristoff cried indignantly.

"Come on" Anna sighed, pulling at Elsa's hand. "The wedding is in three hours"

"You're right. We'd better get going. See you at the wedding Kristoff" Then eyeing him, a fierce glare in her eyes, she added, "That reindeer better be washed and on his best behavior at the wedding. I will not allow my sister's wedding to be a disaster. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yes your majesty" Kristoff bowed awkwardly.

Emma looked on in awe at Elsa's quick transformation to adorable sister to fierce and in control queen. The warm feeling came back and she felt herself wringing her hands together. What was going on with her?

They said their goodbyes to Kristoff and began to walk into the woods. They were silent on the journey there with the exception of Anna gushing over the occasional animal that crossed their path.

The journey wasn't long. By Emma's estimate, they walked for about twenty minutes before arriving at their destination. It was a clear field, surrounded by forest and mountain. In the field were a assortment of rocks, all round and all different sizes. Emma was confused when they stopped and Anna began calling for Grand Pabbie.

"They're rocks" She said slowly as if talking to two crazy people.

"Just watch" Elsa smiled.

A rock, the biggest of them all, shook before unraveling to reveal a rock with a body. A moving body and face.

Emma's eyes bulged from her sockets. Honestly, she should be used to all of this by now but could never manage. Elsa chuckled at her reaction.

"They're rock trolls" She informed her.

Anna kneeled down to the rock trolls level and Elsa and Emma did the same.

"Hello" Grand Pabbie said. "Now Anna, don't tell me the wedding is off again. I waited thirty years-"

"No Grand Pabbie, it's not" Anna injected before he could go off on a tangent. "We have a friend who is not from our world and is trying to get back home. Do you know of any way she can?"

Grand Pabbie looked at Emma with granite eyes and motioned for her to come closer with a finger. She obeyed and he grasped her hand. "Hm...this place you want to go back to, it's far from here, yes? Well, I do know of something that could get you back home but it is far from here. High up into the north mountains"

"I don't care how long it will take me" Emma insisted.

He nodded. Letting go of her hand, he brought his together, swirling his hands together. Green light flowed from his fingertips, intertwining. The light disappeared and a small blue stone sat in his hand. "Take this stone to the highest point of the north mountains. There, hold the stone up to the sky. The moment the sun hits the stone exactly, say the name of the place you wish to go back to. It will bring you back there. But I must warn you, the stone only has enough power for you to travel twice. Think before using the stone the second time. Once you do, you will not be able to go back"

Emma sighed in frustration. "I thought magic didn't have limits"

Grand Pabbie shook his head sadly. "Everything has it's limits, my dear"

"Thank you Grand Pabbie" Anna said. "We'll see you at the wedding"

He nodded and transformed back into a rock.

They headed back, Anna chatting ecstatically about the wedding to Elsa. Emma stayed quiet again but this time she was thinking. She looked down at the stone. It only had the power to be used twice.

With a heavy heart, Emma realized that after this, she would never be able to see Elsa again.


	3. Chapter 3

When they reached the castle, two guards who were stationed at the gates straightened their slumped form, slamming their spear butts to the ground in greeting. When they noticed Emma however, their eyes narrowed and they pointed their spears straight at her. Emma flinched and took a step back, hands up in the air. This situation couldn't be too different from a gun being pointed at her. Hold up your hands and everything will be okay, right?

"It's okay" Elsa said, stepping in front of Emma protectively. "She's with us"

"Your majesty, are you sure you can trust her?" One of the guards asked, eyeing Emma, suspicious.

Elsa gave them both an icy glare and said sternly, "Lay down your weapons"

They hesitated but with another glare, nodded and put their spears back at ease. They bowed as they walked by.

"Sorry about that" Elsa apologized.

"It's okay" Emma waved it off. "I've been in that position with a gun before. This is nothing"

Elsa shuddered at the memory of Emma showing her what a gun was and what it did. Emma had apologized profusely after bringing her to a shooting range where Elsa had screamed at the sound of gunfire and hid behind a tree. It had taken a lot to bring her out again.

"_Elsa? I'm sorry. I forgot that you don't have guns in your world. I won't do it again" _

_Elsa lay against the tree, hands over her ears. _

_Emma felt the guilt drown her. She put the gun down, far from the tree and walked over to her. She knelt down in front of the terrified young woman and whispered, "Elsa? Can you look at me?" _

_Elsa raised her head, hands still over her ears. _

"_You can put your hands down. I won't shoot it again. See?" She held up her hands. "I don't even have it" _

_Elsa lowered her trembling hands and Emma grabbed them. She looked into her eyes and asked, "Are you okay?" _

"_I'm such a coward" Elsa choked out. _

"_You're not a coward. I was afraid of guns too when I first used one"_

_Elsa tilted her head. Emma fought a grin. How adorable. "You were?" _

"_Yes. It took me a while to get used to the sound" _

_Elsa smiled. _

"_Now come on" Emma tugged on her hands to make her stand. "Let's go get some hot chocolate" _

_Elsa squealed. "With marshmallows?" _

_Emma laughed. "Whatever you want" _

"ELSA!"

Elsa jumped and blinked. Anna and Emma were both looking at her strangely. "What?"

Anna huffed. "I've been saying your name for the past minute Elsa. Is something wrong?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. Everything is fine"

"Okaaay" Anna said slowly, rolling her eyes. "Are we going to get ready?"

"Of course" Elsa said.

"Great! I'm gonna take a shower" With that, she raced up the spiral staircase.

Suddenly, with Anna now gone, it was a great time for dozens of servants to swarm Elsa.

"Your majesty, the cake is taking a little longer then we expected"

"By how much?"

"Twenty minutes"

A sigh. "Okay. Just try your best. I'm sure the guests and Anna can wait"

"Your majesty, it seems as if the rabbits have been chewing on the flowers again"

"What? I told you specifically to lay out traps to catch those rabbits and release them far from the royal gardens"

"We tried, your majesty but those rabbits are clever"

"Fine. What flowers have not been destroyed?"

"Um...the red roses and the daises, your majesty"

"Okay. Those will do. Just get three times the amount of each to replace the ones that were lost"

"Your majesty, the ice sculptures you created are starting to melt from the sun"

"Thank you for informing me. I will refreeze them"

Emma's head was whirling from all the information. She couldn't imagine how Elsa did this every day.

After giving orders and reassuring the nervous staff, they dispersed and Elsa frowned at Emma's gaping mouth.

"What is is?"

"How do you do this?" Emma demanded.

Elsa shrugged, an un-queenly thing to do. "I just can. It's not something I can explain. Now come on. It's time to get ready"

"Uh, what should I wear?" She gestured to her outfit. A white undershirt, jeans and her red leather jacket. "I'm not exactly wedding material"

"You can wear one of my dresses"

Emma inwardly groaned. She knew about these dresses. They hurt like hell and were tight in places that were not at all comfortable.

Elsa took her hand and led her up the stairs to her room. She walked in and went to her closet. She opened it and inside it was filled with dresses and shoes.

Emma stayed nearby as Elsa hummed to herself, looking through the dresses.

"Oh!" She gasped. "How about this?" She took a dress from it's hanger and showed it to Emma. It was a simple red victorian dress with black lining.

Emma's eyes widened. "It looks great!"

"Now, how about we try it on?"

Emma took the dress and Elsa directed her to the curtain that acted as a changing room.

It took Emma five minutes to get the dress on and whenever Elsa heard grunts, she would ask if she needed help but Emma always said no.

"Okay" Emma breathed, walking out.

Elsa was speechless. She opened her mouth but no words came out.

Emma looked absolutely beautiful. The dress fit her nicely and her long hair was pulled from it's ponytail and hung around her shoulder.

Emma took the silence badly. "Is it okay?"

"It's wonderful" Elsa whispered breathlessly.

Emma blushed. "Thank you. What are you going to wear?"

"This" Elsa pulled out a dress from the closet. It was her coronation dress. After The Great Thaw, she had requested the dress be made again along with the cape.

Emma nodded approvingly. "I'm sure you will look beautiful in it" Her blush deepened. Did she really just say that?

Elsa didn't seem to notice for she said, "Thank you"

After putting on her dress and bringing Emma downstairs to show her the ice sculptures which Emma looked at with awe, Elsa led her to the gardens to take a walk before the wedding started.

"Tell me" Elsa began. "How did you and Ingrid separate?"

Emma swallowed. These were memories she hadn't wanted to resurface again. "Ingrid was going to adopt me. She was the first person to show any sort of emotion towards me. I was so happy with her. But then, she decided to show me who I really was"

"Your magic" Elsa stated.

"Yes" Emma sighed. "She wanted to show me that I had magic and I didn't believe her. I thought she was a freak. It didn't help that she pulled me in front of a car and told me to stop it. So I ran away"

"And she found you again in Storybrooke years later" Elsa shook her head sadly. "She was devoted"

"Do...do you miss her?" Emma asked.

Elsa nodded. "I do. I still think about her sometimes. She would have been a great aunt to Anna and I"

"She would have been a great mother to me" Emma sighed.

"But you found your real parents, didn't you?" Elsa said. "Sometimes things happen for a reason, even if we don't like them"

Emma hadn't thought of that. "You're right. Running led me to my birth parents. Without that, I would have never found Henry, never found my parents and never would have broken the curse. But still..."

"I know" Elsa linked arms with her. "You wish you could have had both"

Emma looked at her, nodded and looked back at the garden in front of them.

Suddenly, there was a loud booming sound that came from the clock tower.

Elsa breathed in deeply, her nerves tingling with excitement. "It's time"


	4. Chapter 4

Elsa instructed Emma to sit in the front row of the church while the wedding ceremony happened. Emma happily obliged, sitting next to a plump woman wearing a deep blue dress.

"Hello" The woman greeted. "I haven't seen you here before. Do you live in Arendelle?"

"Oh no" Emma said.

"Oh! Where do you live?"

She hadn't been prepared for this. "Um..."

_Come on Emma. Think! What's an old fashioned name for a kingdom? _

"Merry...ville" She said. "Yeah! Merryville"

"Hm. Never heard of Merryville. Is it far from here?"

"Yes" Emma said. "Very far"

The woman seemed to be bursting with questions but thankfully the priest began talking. If Emma believed in a God, she would be praying to him right now.

"We are gathered here together on this beautiful afternoon to share with Princess Anna of Arendelle and Mister Kristoff Bjorgman as they exchange their vows of everlasting love"

As Anna and Kristoff said their vows to one another, Emma took a glance at Elsa and was touched to see her nearly in tears. She supposed as queen, she had to keep up the show of respect and dignity to her subjects.

_Is that what I would have to do?_ Emma thought to herself. The words of the priest were drowned out by her own thoughts. If the curse hadn't happened, she supposed she would be learning the same things Elsa was doing right now. Learning all the trade routes of the sea, learning the politics of neighboring kingdoms, learning how to be a benevolent but strong queen just like Elsa was. And of course her parents would probably be pestering her about finding a suitable man to become king. Not that they weren't already doing that now with Hook.

She jumped slightly as she was pulled out of her thoughts by clapping and cheering. She looked around and saw that everyone had gotten up. She hastily rose and clapped with the rest.

* * *

><p>After the wedding was over, the after party came. Everyone joined in the ballroom to dance merrily, drink and eat from the large buffet table topped with the wedding cake, sandwiches and the largest amount of chocolate Emma has ever seen.<p>

Emma stood besides Elsa as she watched Anna dance with Kristoff, a proud smile lining her face.

"They grow up so fast, don't they?" Elsa said softly.

"W-what?" Emma squeaked, once again interrupted from her thoughts. "Oh, yes! They do"

Elsa chuckled. "I'm sure you will have the same feeling when your baby brother gets older and finds his true love. If he does that is. Not everyone finds their true love" Emma could tell Elsa was talking about herself.

"You're only twenty one" Emma argued. "Why rush it?"

"I'm queen, Emma" Elsa stated. "It's time I start looking for potential suitors. It's my duty"

"That's a stupid duty for a queen to have" Emma said.

"I don't make the rules"

"You're queen. Change them"

"It's not that easy Emma"

"How do you know if you haven't tried?" Emma asked with a mischievous smile. Elsa laughed and Emma's insides tingled. She loved making Elsa laugh. It was such a beautiful sound. Like tinkling bells.

Suddenly Elsa stiffened. She turned to Emma and quickly said, "Dance with me"

"What?" Emma was in shock.

"Dance with me" Elsa gestured to the man who was coming their way. He was fat and his tux was darkened with sweat. He looked like a complete and utter pig and was hoping for a dance with the queen.

"Yeah, let's dance" Emma was prepared to yank her to the dance floor but Elsa stood her ground. "What?"

"Properly" Elsa reminded her. "I'm queen and you can't just yank me onto the dance floor"

"Oh, right" She cleared her throat and curtsied. Extending her hand towards Elsa she said, "My queen, can I care to have the next dance with you?"

Elsa smiled serenely and took her hand. "You may"

They walked in the middle of the dance floor, other dancing hastily moving out of their way. The man stopped midway, glaring at Emma who had seized his chance. Emma struggled not to laugh triumphantly.

The next song was a slow one. Emma cursed the musicians.

Elsa looked around at what the other dancers were doing and turned back to Emma. "Telegangar"

"Telegangar?" Emma repeated in confusion.

"Its a dance we do here in Arendelle" Elsa explained.

"I don't know what to do"

"You don't have to know what to do. It's an improvising dance"

"That's even worse"

Elsa laughed again. Emma's cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Now you're just laughing at me"

"I'm sorry" Elsa was still laughing. "There's no need to be embarrassed. I'll lead. Just flow with the music" She took Emma's hand, holding it up in hers and placed her other hand on Emma's waist. She nodded at Emma to do the same.

They moved in a slow moving circle, never moving from their spot.

"Loosen up" Elsa whispered, moving her hand up to Emma's back to softly knead at the stiff muscles. Emma suppressed a moan. Elsa continued to sooth out the tense muscles until Emma relaxed in her arms.

They kept dancing but Emma barely noticed. All she could think about was how perfectly her body molded with Elsa's and how that intoxicating minty scent clung to her skin. She lost herself and moved her hand up to twist her fingers into her platinum blond hair that was woven in a french braided crown twist bun. Her fingers were twisted in it gently as not to pull the bun apart. Elsa flinched slightly at the more intimate movement but didn't back away. Their faces were mere inches away. Emma could feel the warmth of Elsa's breath on her face. She leaned in...

"Elsa! I thought you said you can't dance"

The two women sprung apart as if touching one another was like touching a red hot branding tool. Anna was standing there with Kristoff besides her, grinning like a fool.

Elsa composed herself quickly which Emma admired. She was wringing her hands like a nervous wreck.

"Anna" Elsa smiled. "How are you enjoying your wedding?"

"It's amazing!" Anna squealed. "We are having so much fun, right Kristoff!"

Kristoff smiled. "We are. Thank you for letting me marry your sister"

"I wouldn't want anyone else marrying Anna" Elsa replied.

"Well Elsa. Now that I know you can dance, dance with me!" Anna started jumping up and down in anticipation.

"Whoa, Anna. Calm down. I will dance with you" Elsa took Anna's hand and they moved away, leaving Kristoff and Emma alone.

Emma didn't know what to say. She barely knew Kristoff and if she could remember correctly, spoke only four words to him. Luckily for her, Kristoff spoke first.

"You like Elsa, don't you?" He said.

Her gaze snapped to his. Not the first words she was expecting. "Uh..."

"Don't worry" He said with a reassuring smile. "I won't tell anyone"

"Thanks" It came out more like a question then a response. How did he know?

As if he could read her thoughts, he said, "I saw you two dancing. I recognized that look in your eyes"

She started wringing her hands again.

"I understand that you love her. You probably spent more time with her then I ever did. But from what I do know of her, if you are going to love her, you have to love every part of her. No matter how annoying or possessive she can get concerning her sister, allow it. She can also be stubborn. Very stubborn. And the most important thing is that you cannot call her a monster or talk about her powers in a negative way"

"I know" Emma said. "I have powers too and she was the one to show me that I should embrace them"

"Oh. Well, do you think you can do all of that?"

"Yes" She said, confidence laced in her voice.

"Good. I can tell you will be able to treat her the way she deserves"

"How do you know?" She asked.

He looked down. "You stopped wringing your hands"

She followed his gaze. "You're right"


	5. Chapter 5

The party lasted well after midnight. Well some of the guests left, most stayed and Emma couldn't find it in her heart to leave early, finding it would be too rude. She hadn't been invited in the first place, pretty much forcing her way in so she she might as well stay.

When the grandfather clock in the room rang out once, Emma knew it was 1 in the morning. She had long given up talking to guests and moved her way up to Elsa's throne. Her brain fried from exhaustion, she collapsed into it. She couldn't even care about how uncomfortable the wood was. Mere seconds past before hands were on her shoulders and she was roughly hoisted from the throne.

"Wait, what?" She yelped, her eyes shooting open in confusion and fear.

"How dare you sit in the queen's throne?" A man snarled, shoving his face right into hers.

Her eyes widened. "Oh. I am so sorry"

"If you are to apologize to anyone, it's the queen for disrespecting her" Without another word, he dragged her to where Elsa was talking with someone. "Your majesty"

She turned with a smile that immediately slipped from her face as she saw who he was holding. "Sir, what do you think you are doing?"

"This woman was sitting on your throne" He pushed Emma forward and she nearly tripped over her dress but Elsa caught her. "She sat in it as though it was just a regular chair!"

The commotion brought the attention of some guests around them and Emma's face heated up.

"I am sure she didn't mean it" Elsa said sharply. She looked at Emma and said, "Right?"

Emma nodded vigorously. "I am so sorry El- your majesty. I was just very tired and just wanted a place to sit. I didn't fully realize that I was sitting on your throne"

The man scoffed but said nothing.

Elsa, her eyes full of warmth and concern said softly, "You can go. It's okay"

"No" Emma whispered. "I came to this party uninvited. I can't just-" A yawn escaped her and it didn't go unnoticed.

"Yawning in front of the queen?! Your majesty, please have her removed from the party"

Elsa's eyes shot up to meet his and flashed anger. "You dare to order your queen around?"

His once triumphant look vanished and he stuttered in disbelief, "B-but your majesty-"

"Leave us at once" She snapped.

He looked at Emma, curling his lip in distain before walking away.

She looked back at Emma who had her arms around herself, looking very ashamed. "Come on. I'll take you up to the guest room so you can get some sleep"

Emma shook her head. "No I can't"

"That's an order" Elsa said firmly, taking up her queenly voice.

Emma sighed and nodded appreciatively.

Elsa took her hand gently and walked her out of the room. "I leave Princess Anna in charge until I get back"

There was a chorus of "Yes your majesty" before the great doors closed behind them.

"Thank you Elsa" Emma mumbled.

"Of course. I wouldn't want you to fall dead on the ground, now would I?"

Emma chuckled tiredly, her eyes nearly drooping shut.

They made it to the guest room and Elsa opened the door. Leading a half asleep Emma to the bed, she let go of her as Emma collapsed in it, not bothering to get under the covers.

"Do you want to borrow one of my nightgowns?" Elsa offered.

Emma mumbled something incoherent into the soft pillow and shook her head.

"Okay. My bedroom is right next door if you need anything"

"Mm hm" Emma was already half asleep by then.

"Get a good nights sleep. We leave tomorrow morning" Leaning down, she gave Emma a soft kiss to the crown of her head. Though she was twenty one and seven years younger then Emma, being trapped in the urn for thirty years had made her quite the motherly figure. She raised and walked out of the room, pausing in the threshold to whisper, "Good night Emma" before closing the door quietly behind her.

Moonlight shone in through the tall window, bathing the blond in silver light. She raised a hand and put it on the crown of her head, smiling in content.

* * *

><p>The knock at her door awoke her and she groaned into her pillow, burrowing herself further into the covers she somehow managed to get herself under sometime during the night. The knock sounded again.<p>

"Go away" She groaned, turning her back to the door.

"Emma, it's me. You have to get up. It's time to go"

"Five more minutes mom"

There was a moment of stunned silence from the other side before a giggle broke it. "Emma, it's Elsa. If you don't get up, I'll pour some ice down your back" It always worked on her sister, why not try it on someone else?

Like magic, Emma's eyes shot open and she clambered out of bed. "I'm up! I'm up!"

Another giggle and the door opened to reveal Emma rubbing her eyes and yawning. Elsa was already ready to go, wearing some riding clothes. Her eyes nearly bulged out her of her skull. Definitely not what she expected the Snow Queen to wear.

"Wow" She managed to get out.

"Never expected to see me wearing something like this, huh?" Elsa smirked.

Emma shook her head.

"Yeah, me neither" She admitted. "But the journey is going to be tough and long. Might as well wear comfortable clothes for it. Now come on. If we hurry, we can get breakfast before leaving"

"Why the rush?" Emma asked as they walked down the stairs.

"I want to leave before Anna wakes up" Elsa answered.

Emma was stunned. "She's not coming?"

"It's too dangerous. I would never forgive myself if something happened to her"

"Does she know she's not coming?"

Elsa paused before shaking her head in shame. "No she doesn't"

"You should at least leave a note. If she wakes up and doesn't find you, then what will she think?"

Elsa sighed. "You're right. Let me bring you to the dining hall and then I'll write her a note. Don't worry about getting something to eat. Just sit down and the servants will bring you your food"

Emma nodded and let Elsa lead her to the dining hall.

Elsa left shortly after Emma sat down at the long table which could fit at least twelve people if not twenty.

Just like Elsa said, a servant came over and poured milk into her golden goblet and laid out a plate for her.

"Thank you" Emma said, taking a sip of the milk. She looked down at her food. It consisted of four slices of bread, each topped differently. The toppings consisted of cheese, meat slices, jam, and honey.

She sighed. "Well at least it's not chimera" With a shrug, she dug in.

She was nearly done by the time Elsa had come down but who could blame her. It wasn't exactly a big meal.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked.

Emma nodded, finishing off her milk and got up from the table.

They walked to the stables where the horses were. When the door opened, a few horses greeted them.

"Pick which one you want" Elsa said, walking straight to the first horse on the left. By the way the snow white horse was affectionately nuzzling her, Emma assumed this was her own personal horse.

Emma looked at each horse, seeing how they reacted when approached. Some seemed calm while others moved back. It wasn't until she reached a white horse with brown splotches did she meet her match. It whinnied and nudged her hand gently.

"I'll choose you" She smiled. The horse snorted, seemingly okay with it.

After saddling up their horses, they made their way out.

Elsa nodded approvingly. "You ride well"

"My dad taught me in my free time" Emma answered.

They had barely made it into the woods, five minutes later when a cry and the sound of galloping hooves sounded behind them.

"Hey!"

They looked back and Elsa sighed.

Anna was riding a white horse with a short black and white mane. She looked furious.

"You were going to leave without me?" She shouted once she reached them.

"Anna, go back to the castle" Elsa said firmly.

"No. I'm not going back"

"Anna" Elsa warned.

"No. I want to come. I'll be helpful. I know my way up the North Mountain"

"And you don't think I do?"

Elsa, please. I promise I won't be a burden"

Elsa's eyes immediately softened. "Anna, you could never be a burden"

Anna grinned widely. "Great! Does that mean I can go?"

"No!" Elsa said.

"Please?"

"No!"

"Pretty please?"

"No!"

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Ugh! Fine"

"Yay!" Anna clapped her hands in glee.

Emma struggled not to laugh at the sisters antics as they began to ride again.

"You would have followed anyway, wouldn't you?" Elsa asked.

Anna nodded.

"I thought so"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Sorry if this chapter seemed rushed at some points but I really wanted to get to the good stuff. The start of their adventure which will begin in the next chapter! <strong>


	6. Chapter 6

The woods were calm with the occasional sound of birds tweeting and flying through the warm air and the sound of hooves clopping on the dirt ground. The sun was mostly hidden, its rays peeking through any gaps in the leaves of the trees leaving an almost heavenly feeling to the woods. The women talked small snippets to each other but the conversations never lasted long, the three of them comfortable with the silence.

The sun was nearly at it's full height by the time Elsa suggested they stop for a little bit by a small stream they passed. The horses were more then grateful for their saddles to be taken off, relieved of the extra weight on their backs. Their coats were shiny with sweat and Elsa used her power to create a bar of ice which she rubbed the horses down with to keep them cool.

While the horses grazed on flowers and sections of grass, Emma, Elsa and Anna sat down in a circle as Elsa rummaged through a bag and produced sandwiches, apples and empty canteens to fill at the stream.

They ate their lunches and Anna asked, "How far until we get to the North Mountain?"

"It'll take at least another day or two" Elsa asked.

"Do you think your castle is still there?"

Elsa lowered her apple from her mouth and a pondering look came over her face. "I haven't thought about my castle since The Great Thaw. I'm sure it's still there. It wasn't that damaged when I was last there"

"Damaged?" Anna asked in confusion.

A guilty look crossed Elsa's eyes. "I forgot to mention that Hans came soon after you left"

Anna's mouth gaped open. "Hans came?"

"Who's Hans?" Emma asked.

"A scumbag" Anna answered coldly.

Elsa nodded in agreement. "That is the polite way to put it"

"He tried to kill Elsa and I in order to become king" With that Anna launched into a full on story about how she first met Hans and everything from there.

By the time the story ended, Emma's body was pulsing with magic and her eyes flared with anger. The thought of anyone hurting Elsa made her want to snap their neck.

Elsa and Anna seemed to notice something was amiss when the ground started to tremble. Anna yelped in fear and clung to Elsa. "It's an earthquake!"

Elsa shook her head. She could feel the magic in the air and gently pushed Anna away with a comforting pat on the shoulder. She crawled over to Emma and looked her dead in the eyes.

"Emma" She said. "It's okay. You have to calm down"

"He tried to kill you" She spat. "If I ever see him again I'll-"

"Emma, stop" Elsa said firmly. "This isn't you. You are not a murderer. You are not darkness, you are light. Don't let that light go out by killing another. No matter how terrible they are"

"But he-"

"Is gone. He went back to his kingdom and based on what his father said, is currently in the dungeons where he will be spending the rest of his life"

When Emma didn't seem to be able to stop the emotions swirling inside her, Elsa sighed and took both of her hands in hers. The gentleness and softness of Elsa's hands made Emma snap out of her anger and look down. The ground stopped shaking and she felt the magic inside her disappear.

"I'm sorry" She whispered.

'It's okay" Elsa reassured her.

Elsa brought her into a hug and Emma bit down on her lip to stifle a whimper as their bodies molded perfectly with each other. The hug didn't last as long as Emma hoped but she said nothing.

"Want to keep going?" She asked.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, let's go"

Anna had been quiet throughout the whole thing once she realized that it was Emma's magic that had made the ground shake. She had looked at them in wonder, amazed how easily Elsa could calm Emma down when it came to magic. I guess it was the same when Anna calmed Elsa down with her magic.

Elsa offered to go fill the canteen up with water before leaving. Anna and Emma nodded and watched her go down the hill to the stream.

"She helps you control it, doesn't she?" Anna said once Elsa was out of sight.

Emma nodded. "Like you help her"

Anna chuckled. "Yeah"

"How do you two do it?" Emma asked.

"What do you mean?"

"When you two help control the magic, it seems so effortless, so easy. It makes me wonder why I can't do it myself"

"Love" Was Anna's simple answer. "And family. Family never gives up on one another"

Emma recognized these words from when Anna had tried to stop Ingrid. "I remember when Elsa first helped me control my magic. She told me that I have to love myself, the good and the bad because this is who I am"

Anna looked at her. "And do you?"

"Yes. I do. But there are times when I can't control what I'm feeling and the magic just flares up"

"You can't control your emotions no matter how hard you try" Anna agreed. "You just need to let them go. It took Elsa years for her to finally realize that. Before it was conceal, don't feel. But now, she can control it and I am so proud of her"

"So am I" Emma said quietly.

Elsa came back with full canteens and gave them back theirs.

They saddled their horses once more and continued on.


	7. Chapter 7

The horse's mane tickled Emma's nose as she leaned her head drowsily on his neck, hands loosely holding the reins. The sun had set about half an hour ago and Elsa had promised them that they would stop once they found a good place. They haven't found anything since lunch time. They were in a fucking forest for god's sake!

She kept her eyes open, making sure the horse didn't move away from the others.

Emma launched forward suddenly as the horse stumbled and she gasped, straightening herself up and gripping the reins tightly.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked who was riding besides her.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Emma answered.

Anna nodded and stared ahead at her sister. "Elsa, we really should stop"

"I know. I'm trying Anna" Elsa had a slightly cold tone to her voice. She must have been getting impatient too.

Anna noticed and went quiet. The quietness that had once been comfortable was now tense but none of them wanted to break it.

Suddenly the forest went quiet. The horses slowed down, ears twitching. Their heads moved back and forth and they started to get jittery.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked her horse.

"Guys" Anna breathed. She pointed to the left of Emma. Emma looked in the direction of the finger and her eyes widened.

Glowing yellow eyes came forth from the darkness of the forest and soft growling could be heard. It wasn't until the eyes moved into the moonlight could she see what it was. She froze.

Wolves.

"Run!" Came a cry. It was Elsa.

Emma turned to see Elsa and Anna racing into the forest. Emma kicked her horse and sent it galloping.

The desire to give chase sent the wolves storming after them, snarling.

Emma didn't dare look back. She kept looking forward, encouraging her horse to move faster every few seconds.

However, after walking all day and being an older horse then Anna and Elsa's, the horse could only run so fast. The only thing that kept it running was it's flight instinct. It could feel the hot breath of a wolf closing it and it panicked.

With a high pitched cry of terror, it gave a back kick, slamming it's hoof into the wolf's head. The wolf gave a yelp and smashed down to the ground. It didn't move.

Heart quickening, Emma could tell they were slowing down. Elsa and Anna were becoming smaller and smaller by the minute.

Suddenly Emma launched forward again but it wasn't because the horse tripped. It was because the pack of wolves had closed in.

The horse plummeted forward and slammed down on the ground. Emma's foot caught in the stirrups and she gasped as the air was punched out of her as the horse fell on her lower body. The wolves pounced.

The horse kicked and kicked the wolves but from it's fallen state, couldn't kick hard enough and the wolves kept coming back.

Emma, panic consuming her, raised her hands and a blast of magic shot from her palms. It hit two wolves who slammed into a nearby tree and dropped like a rock.

Emma screamed as a wolf leaped on top of her, claws digging into her skin. The pain was immediate. Her back arched as the razor sharp claws pierced through skin and drew blood. The gaping maw, dripping with saliva went for her throat.

She slammed an arm through the mouth, trapping the wolf there and screamed again as the teeth clamped down. Blood streamed down her arm and painted the teeth red. A river of tears ran down her cheeks. Through all the pain, she realized her horse had stopped kicking.

"Emma!"

She turned her head, still pushing back with her arm against the wolf who was working it's way into a frenzy trying to get to her.

Elsa was rushing back with her horse, Anna not far behind. With the horse still moving, she jumped off.

"Get away from her!" She shouted. Her arm shot forward and a blast of blue magic targeted the wolf.

The wolf cried out, ice spreading quickly through it's body, freezing it head to toe. It's mouth was still on Emma's arm when it stopped moving. With her powers, she froze the rest of the wolves.

Emma, with her remaining strength, punched the wolf through the head, shattering the ice. She ripped her arm free and looked down. The moonlight illuminated the teeth marks and the blood dripping on the ground. She felt sick.

"Oh god Emma" Elsa choked out, falling to her knees. "I'm so sorry that we didn't wait for you"

Emma was losing blood fast. She looked up at Elsa faintly. "Elsa, it hurts"

"I know" Elsa ripped the sleeve off her shirt and stared wrapping it tightly around her arm. "Emma, stay with me!"

Emma's head fell back against the ground and she smiled. "Those were the same words that you said to me when I nearly froze in your ice cave"

Elsa didn't understand what was going on. Emma must have been getting delusional. She kept on ripping off pieces of her shirt until it was nearly gone. She patched up Emma as much as possible. "We'll get you somewhere safe okay. Just stay with me"

"There's Oaken's not far from here" Anna said frantically. "We can get there in thirty minutes by horse"

Elsa looked at Emma's horse and shook her head sadly. The horse was dead, terror it's last emotion.

She placed a hand on it's untouched head and whispered, "Wherever you are now, you are safe and warm" She turned her attention back to Emma. "Can you walk?"

Emma tried to lift herself up but fell back with a cry as white hot pain shot through her abdomen.

"Anna, help me get her on my horse" Elsa said.

Anna nodded and ran over, grabbing both of her legs.

Elsa gripped under Emma's arms, carful not to anger her injuries.

Slowly, they made it to Elsa's horse and as gently as possible, laid her sideways over the front of the saddle face up. As soon as the leather touched Emma's back, everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

There were too many voices and it was hurting Emma's head. With a small moan, she raised an arm and placed it over her ear as if that would drown out the sound. The moan alerted Elsa who was nearby and she ran to Emma's side.

"Emma!" She cried.

Emma winced and said softly, "Too loud"

"Oh, I'm sorry" Elsa said in a whisper. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap" Emma slowly opened her eyes and heaved herself up on her uninjured arm to inspect herself. Her arm was bandaged as well as her stomach. She sighed and flopped back down on the cot. "Where am I?"

"At Oaken's Wandering Trading Post and Sauna" Elsa explained.

Emma had no clue what the hell that was but didn't bother asking.

"We brought you here after the wolf attack and..."She paused to let out a shuddering breath before continuing, "And your horse is dead"

Emma swallowed. "Oh god"

There was a moment's of silence between them.

"Um, where is Anna?" Emma finally asked.

"She's out in the front with Oaken, buying a few more supplies for the trip. Since you don't have a horse anymore, you'll ride with me"

Emma nodded. "Okay. And Elsa? I'm so, so sorry about your horse. I never meant for any of this to happen"

"It's not your fault" Elsa reassured her, taking her hand. "It's nobody's fault"

Emma wasn't convinced. "But I put you both in danger"

"Danger?" Elsa chuckled. "I have ice powers. You have magic. Wolves are nothing"

"My magic didn't really work out, did it?" It came out a bit harsher then Emma intended but with the headache and the news of her dead horse, she was in no mood to be friendly.

Elsa took no notice to her sudden mood swing. "You were in pain. Sometimes pain weakens your magic. And you were loosing blood"

"That rock troll was right when he said magic has it's limits"

Elsa nodded sadly.

"Elsa?" Anna's head popped in through the doorway. "Oh, hi Emma. You're awake"

Emma couldn't help but smile at Anna's cheerfulness. "Yeah, I'm still alive and kicking!"

Anna skipped in the room and said, "So I got everything we need for the trip"

"Emma?" Elsa turned to her. "Are you fit to travel?"

Emma tested it out by sitting up and when no pain hit her, she stood up. "I think I'll be fine"

"Good, cause you've been asleep for the past half day" Anna said.

"Wait, what?" Emma gasped.

Anna nodded. "Yeah, so we'd better head out soon. That is if you are up to it Emma"

Emma nodded. "Yeah. Let's go!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note: Sorry this chapter is so short. I just felt like I needed to get a chapter in. The next one will be longer and more interesting, I promise! :) <strong>


	9. Chapter 9

The sun had come out by the time Emma had awoken. Elsa suggested Emma ride in the back so Elsa wouldn't have to put her arms around her injured waist. Emma agreed and they started to ride off back into the woods.

Emma wound her arms around Elsa's middle, palms flat against her belly. She couldn't see but Elsa's face flushed, her heart thumping in her chest. With no knowledge of what she was doing to Elsa, Emma wiggled closer to her until their bodies were pressed against each other. Elsa grabbed for her canteen and opened the top. She drowned the remainder of her water, suddenly feeling parched.

"Do you know when we're going to arrive at the mountain?" Emma asked, her warm breath caressing the back of Elsa's neck. For the first time ever, Elsa shivered.

"It shouldn't be far now" Anna was the one who answered cause Elsa couldn't formulate words in her current condition. "Probably another couple hours"

Emma grumbled. This was taking forever.

"If you think this is taking a long time, you should have seen how long it took me to get to the top of the north mountain. My horse ran back to Arendelle a quarter of the way up"

"You walked all the way up there?" Emma gasped.

Anna nodded. "Yep"

"Wow"

* * *

><p>They rode for the next couple of hours and finally the forest started to clear out and they were now riding into mountainous territory. The change was so sudden that Emma felt like they walked through a portal. The terrain was a mixture of dirt and pebbles. When Emma asked what the horses would eat, Elsa assured her that she had brought along some food for them to have once they got to this part of the trip.<p>

Emma could see the mountain in the distance and she gulped. It looked very, very steep and she wondered if the horses would manage to get up there.

They set up camp on a small hill and ate dinner which consisted of lutefish in a jar which Emma was less then happy about, bread and some fruit which was for the horses.

After eating her fill of lutefish, Emma sat against a rock, swearing to never eat it again. Not only was it fish, something that Emma had never exactly enjoyed, it was pickled fish. She never expressed an interest in anything pickled unless it was pickles that came with her hamburger. However, due to her excessive eating of it since this had been her first meal of the day, Anna believed her to love it and pulled another jar from her bag, offering it to Emma. Emma shook her head no, telling her she was too full. Anna nodded and put it back in her bag suggesting with a smile they can have it again tomorrow. The smile Emma returned was more of a grimace than anything else.

* * *

><p>After about an hour of talking, the sky was now black and littered with stars. They decided it was time to sleep.<p>

Emma slept a little ways away from Elsa and Anna who were snuggled together. She listened as Elsa told Anna a bed time story as if Anna was still a little girl. Something about how when they were kids, before the accident, they used to go ice fishing with their mother. She listened to Elsa's giggling as she retold the story of how she got impatient one day and used her powers to crack open the ice, freeze the fish, toss them out and then thaw them out again. When she had shown her mother how fast they could fish, her mother got very mad and grounded her for a day. Anna laughed and said, "If you think that's bad, you should have seen Mother's face when she caught me in the kitchen. Covered head to toe in flour"

Elsa chuckled. "What were you doing?"

"I was trying to bake a cake! For your tenth birthday"

"Anna, did you seriously think at seven you could bake a cake? You can't even do it now"

"Hey!" Anna cried out indignantly.

Elsa laughed and said, "Come on Anna. Time to sleep"

"Okay" Anna grumbled.

"I love you"

"Love you too"

Emma shifted once to get into a more comfortable position and fell asleep.

_She was walking through the mountain but it was different. The sky and the rocks were completely black as if someone had taken a paintbrush and painted everything. She felt like she had been walking for hours but didn't seem to get any closer to her destination. It was like walking the wrong way on an escalator. The air was thin around her and breathing was difficult. Her lungs were burning from the lack of air. _

Go back down the mountain_, she thought to herself. But her legs wouldn't abide to her brain. _

_Suddenly there was a squelching sound like a boot going through mud. She looked down but it wasn't mud. It was something red. She knelt down and dipped a finger through it. It was hot and thick and her heart hammered. _

_She looked upwards and her eyes widened. _

_There was a body about ten feet from her, something she hadn't noticed before. The recognizable body was what made her scream. _

_The ice blue dress was splattered with blood as well as the platinum blond hair. Emma managed to run up to the body and she gave a strangled cry as she stared into the sightless blue eyes. The blood that was pooling from the head quickened at an unnatural speed. Emma didn't notice how it was rising until she felt it lap at her arms. She looked down in horror and she got up to run only to slam her head into something hard and unseeable. _

_Black dots swam across her vision and she stumbled backwards. The blood was at her neck now. She looked down only to see blood. She looked around, desperately searching for her, screaming her name. Nothing. Her screams were cut off with a gurgle as the blood entered her mouth. She spat it out in disgust, unable to get the metallic taste out of her mouth. But the blood kept coming. Filling her mouth, her eyes, until she was drowning in it. _

_Then someone was shaking her. Hard. _

"Emma! Emma, wake up!"

Her eyes shot open and she gasped, sucking in air greedily.

"Emma?" The voice was softer now.

Emma gasped, struggling to calm her breathing. She looked up and saw blue eyes look down at her in concern.

"Elsa?" She whispered.

Elsa nodded. "Are you okay, Emma? You were shouting my name"

Emma shot up and began to pat her body. It was soaked. But it wasn't blood. She was drenched in sweat.

"Oh god" She whimpered, her head falling against the rock. "It wasn't real"

"No" Elsa said softly. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Emma shook her head, tears sliding down her face. If anything ever happened to Elsa, she wouldn't know what to do with herself.

"Emma?" Elsa said, voice laced with concern. She gasped as she saw the tears. "Oh god, Emma. You're crying"

Without a word, she pulled Emma into a hug. Emma sobbed into her neck as Elsa soothed her gently.

"You were dead" Emma let out a shuddering breath. "You were dead and there was nothing I could do"

"It was just a dream"

Emma tore her face away from her neck to look up at her. "But what if something happens to you? What if you fall? What if someone tries to hurt you? What if-"

Elsa placed a finger to her lips. "Listen to me Emma Swan. I will not die. Not as long as you need me. I promise" She leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Do you understand?"

"Yes" Emma breathed.

"Good" She laid down and pulled Emma down with her. "Now sleep"

Emma swallowed her tears and nuzzled into Elsa's neck, feeling safe and secure in her arms. She lulled off to sleep listening to Elsa's soft and even breaths.

* * *

><p>Sometime during the night, Anna awoke from a dream and with a start, realized Elsa was not with her. She sat up and saw Elsa sleeping nearby. Upon closer inspection she realized she was sleeping with Emma. She tilted her head in confusion. Why did Elsa move? Was it something she did?<p>

Anna laid back down, a look of pain etched across her face. Even though there were two people five feet from her, she felt alone.


	10. Chapter 10

When Anna woke up the next morning, she saw, once again, she was alone. Except this time, she actually was alone. She whipped her head back and forth across their camp, her heart beginning to hammer in her chest.

Then she heard it. A soft murmur. She strained her ears and then let out a sigh of relief to hear female voices. She got up and followed the voices until she hit a small stream that trickled down some rocks. There must have been a waterfall nearby.

What she saw made her heart drop.

"You ate breakfast without me?" She whispered in a pained voice.

Emma and Elsa looked up.

"Good morning Anna" Elsa greeted with a smile. Anna let out a tiny, heartbroken sound. How did her sister not see her pain?

"Morning" She mumbled.

"Sorry we ate without you" Elsa apologized. "But Emma was getting hungry so we just went ahead"

_You always wait for me,_ Anna thought angrily. _Even if I don't get up until mid day. _A feeling she hadn't ever experienced before was starting to bubble inside her, boiling her blood. Why was Emma getting better treatment then her?

"Here" Emma handed her a sandwich filled with lutefish. "We'll wait for you"

_You'll wait for me? It's not like I got notice when we were going to have breakfast. _Against her better judgement, she took the sandwich, hearing her stomach grumble. "Thank you"

Emma flashed her a smile. "You're welcome" That only intensified the boiling in Anna's blood. _You think you're so innocent. _

She took her anger out on the sandwich, smashing her teeth down on the soft bread and tearing it off.

"Anna!" Elsa scolded. "Manners!"

Anna winced under her sister's disapproving gaze and swallowed her bite. After that she took softer and smaller bites which earned her a nod of approval.

* * *

><p>After they finished breakfast and saddling up the horses, they rode off towards the mountain.<p>

"When we get there, we'll have to leave the horses" Elsa said. "They won't be able to climb the mountain"

"They won't run off?" Emma asked.

"No" Elsa said. "We'll tie them to a nearby tree"

"And nobody will steal them?"

"Who would be out here to steal them?" Anna asked, her voice cold and clipped.

"Sorry" Emma said, tearing her gaze from Anna's hard one. She didn't understand what was with Anna today. It couldn't be about the breakfast thing, could it?

"Anna, we need to talk" Elsa said coldly, stopping her horse. "Emma, stay here please"

"Okay" Emma said softly.

Elsa dismantled and Anna followed her until they stopped behind a rock.

Elsa stared down at Anna, hands on her hips. "I want an explanation for this behavior today"

Anna looked down at the ground, shuffling her foot. "There is nothing to explain"

"Anna, look at me" When there was no response she said again, "Anna, look at me" She sighed and gently placed her fingertips under Anna's chin to tilt her head up. Her eyes were softer now as she said, "Please tell me what is bothering you"

"I...I feel alone" Anna said. As Elsa's eyes furrowed in confusion, she continued. "You're always with Emma. You even slept with her last night. You ate breakfast with her this morning. You didn't even wait for me"

"Is that what this is about?" Elsa asked. When Anna nodded, Elsa's heart broke. "Oh Anna" She cupped her sister's face in between her hands. "My sweet girl, you have a sister. You'll never be alone"

"Really?" Anna whispered.

Elsa nodded. "Really. Whenever you need me, I'll be there"

Anna beamed, her heart soaring with joy.

Elsa sighed in relief to see her sister happy again. She playfully tweaked her nose and chuckled when Anna squeaked. "Come on"

They walked back to the horses and Emma, hands clasped together.

When Emma saw them, she opened her mouth to ask if everything was okay only to close it again at the sight of them smiling.

They started riding again and Anna became more animate, telling Emma more stories of their childhood, most of them making them laugh.

Their laughter filled the air, drowning out the sounds of nature as well as something else.

If they had been quiet, they would have heard the sound of boots crunching against the gritty surface.

If they had been quiet, they would have turned around to see the shadow of a figure lurking behind a rock.


	11. Chapter 105 (author

**Author's Note: **

**I'm sorry it's been a while since I last updated. I know this is no excuse but I have gotten back into Rizzoli and Isles and I can only focus on one obsession at a time. **

**I have not given up on Coming Home however. Let's just say I probably won't get back to this story until March when Once comes back on. **


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